As many of you have doubtless noticed, the App Store in iTunes no longer shows any subcategories for games. This may be temporary --- we can hope! But as long as this situation persists, a lot of us are going to lose a lot of sales. Subcategories are still shown in the iPhone App Store. But that's a small consolation. We'll lose half our sales instead of all of them!
I would like to contact Apple about this as soon as possible, to let them know what I think about this change. Does anyone have any suggestions for where such a letter should be sent? I know, writing to Apple is probably futile. But we need to at least try.
What's your point? What difference does it make that the changes were done for iTunes 9. The fact is that someone who likes puzzles or word games or who wants games for their kids can't easily find those games --- let alone the most popular games --- of that type in the current setup. Why does it matter that this was done for iTunes 9?
What's your point? What difference does it make that the changes were done for iTunes 9. The fact is that someone who likes puzzles or word games or who wants games for their kids can't easily find those games --- let alone the most popular games --- of that type in the current setup. Why does it matter that this was done for iTunes 9?
I think the subcategories were specifically deemphasized in favor of the search function and whatever they have planned for Genius. I think that's why they pushed the keywords so much because they needed something else besides highlighting the top apps. I also think it's a strategy to cut down the number of resubmissions by eliminating the incentive to update so frequently.
The only good thing about the current situation is that iTunes seems to remember the category you were last looking at and keeps it there when you get back to the App Store tab.
Indie developer 1: itunes is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Steve: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Indie developer 2: What he means is Old Testament, Steve, real wrath of God type stuff.
Indie developer 1: Exactly.
Indie developer 2: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Indie developer 3: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Indie developer 4: The dead rising from the grave!
Indie developer 1: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
Steve: Enough! I get the point..... But what if you're wrong?
Indie developer 1: If I'm wrong then nothing happens and you can keep paying us. But if I'm right, and if we can stop this thing ... well, let's just say that you could save the dreams of thousands of registered developers.
my games have tanked since they killed off the sub categories. This is absolutely ridiculous.
I still don't believe that this is permanent. The subcats still exist in iTunes connect, they still exist on the phone, and apple is still reporting on them in the "top 100" xml feeds - or at least I assume so, since appfigures is still giving me hourly numbers.
If it is permanent... it opens up an opportunity for lots of sites to become the "go to" place for picking an iPhone game. None will get the same traffic as the app store itself, though.
After a day or so playing with iTunes 9 and the App store on my phone, I think I am beginning to understand what Apple is trying to do...
I think they are trying to use iTunes to cater to the iPod touch and the App Store on the phone for iPhone users. I would be willing to bet that Apple has data to support their changes too... Try to look at things from a consumer's (rather than developer's) point of view. Aren't most iPhone apps downloaded directly from the phone? The iPhone App Store is relatively unchanged. It's probable that most iPod touch apps are downloaded from iTunes. I haven't seen any data to support this theory but I'm sure Apple has.
In many ways, iTunes for apps is now more like iTunes for music. Try searching iTunes music by category (disco, classic rock, 80's rock, etc.). Searching for apps by category is now much more like that. The categories are all still there (including sub-categories for games).
Subcategories Gone
Linear Mode
